Sights

Mountains are the symbol of the Kyrgyz Republic, which is hardly surprising since they often begin at the very city boundaries. In the Kyrgyz Ala-Too range which encircles the Chu valley from the north, there are 480 glaciers of various sizes, with a total length of nearly 400 km. The largest are located in the central part of the range between the upper reaches of the Ala-Archa and Alamedin rivers.

"The pearl of Tien-Shan" is the proud local name for Lake Issyk-Kul. The lake ranks second among the world's largest mountain lakes, after South America's Titikaka, and is the largest water reservoir in Central Asia to have no outlets, with a volume of 1,738 cubic kilometers. It is second largest after the Aral Sea in surface area (6,236 square kilometers) and Baikal in depth (668 meters); it is certainly one of the world's cleanest and most beautiful lakes. Lying in a bowl of snowy mountains it is situated at an altitude of 1,607 meters, and stretches 180 kilometers from East to West; at its widest point it is 60 kilometers from north to south and the total length of the shore line is 688 kilometers. In the south, the lake is rimmed by the slopes of the Terskei-Ala-Too range ("Colorful mountains with backs to the sun") and in the North by the Kungei-Ala-Too range ("Colorful mountains facing the sun").

The name "Issyk-Kul" means "Warm Lake" and the lake itself never freezes. Due to the combination of mountain and maritime climates in the lake-front area, the air in summer is never hot and stifling, while the nights are cool and tranquil. The average monthly temperature in summer is 18 degrees C, whereas in January it is rarely below minus 5 degrees. All this makes  the lake a large and superb resort area. In summer, the temperature of the lake in shallow water is 25-28 degrees C, and in deep water only 20 degrees. Sailing, windsurfing, rowing, scuba diving, and fishing on the quiet shores of Warm Lake may well be exactly the kind of recreation, which will appeal to you.

Eighty small to medium-sized mountain rivers, carrying silts and the dissolved results of erosion, flow down into the lake, but none of them flows out of it. The lake's water evaporates, and the salts stay, making the water taste mildly salty and the lake itself clearly reminiscent of a sea.The Pearl of Tien-Shan conceals many mysteries. Various nomadic tribal cultures, arriving in succession, have left artifacts of their long vanished existence; Neanderthal camps, ancient burial hills, clusters of cave rock drawings, mysterious stone dolls and the ruins of towns hidden beneath the lake's water.

For many miles, from the watershed of Terskei-Ala-Too to the South and South-East, stretch "syrts", which are plateaus located at an altitude of 3,200 to 3,700 meters in the upper reaches of the Naryn and Sary-Jaz rivers, intersected by the ranges of Sary-Jaz, Ak-Shyyrak, Inylchek, Kaiyndy, etc. These ranges, converging together in the eastern part of the area, form the impressive mountain junction of Muzdag where the famous Pobeda Peak lies.

Have you ever had the opportunity to travel in a relatively short period of time, through a sultry valley, (lunching on delicious melons), walking along cool and pleasant mountain canyons, (snacking on the fruit of berry bushes and nut trees), climbing up to blossoming alpine meadows and finally, touching the snow of the high peaks? If not, then we welcome you to the South of the Republic. The ridges of these mighty ranges are the natural boundaries of this land - The Chatkal range in the East, the Turkestan, Alai and Beyond-Alai ranges in the South. The Chatkal range, bordering the Jala'Abad Region area in the North, is 120 km long. The tallest peak here is Afl Tun (4,503 m). The Fergana range, all along its 200- km length, embraces the area from the North-East. The highest point here is Kara-Kuldja (4,940 m). The Turkestan range, enclosing the Fergana valley in the far southwest of Republic, soars to an altitude of 3,800 to 4,000 meters, with its highest point at Pyramid Peak (5,509 m).

In the South, there are 240 mountain rivers, and all of them are connected to the basin of the Syr-Darya River, except for the Kyzyl-Suu River, which flows past the Alai valley and into the basin of the Amu-Darya River. Here one can find 50 thermal and mineral springs. In the vicinity of the city of Jalal-Abad, in the low-mountain zone, multitudes of mineral springs rise to the surface, forming the basis for a spa resort located at an altitude of 975 meters on the slopes of Ayub-Too, in a large and shady park. Its springs are highly ranked alongside those of the most famous resorts of the world.

Many centuries ago the territory of Southern Kyrgyzstan was part of the ancient powers of Davan, Kushan and the Karakhanides, which comprised about one hundred towns erected in accordance with a remarkable architectural culture. Many fortresses and settlements were scattered all around the vast land. Uzgen was the capital of Karakhanides, and the Great Silk Road went via Osh.

Arslanbob lies on the southwest slopes of the Fergana range, 180 km from Osh. Groves of ancient fruit and nut woodland, many-millennia old, are at an altitude of between 1,200 to 2,000 meters and occupy an area of 70,000 hectares. The prevailing species is walnut, which grows in abundance on the north facing slopes. Many of the trees can be seen along the river banks. Given good growing conditions, walnut trees with their spherical crowns can reach 30 meters in height, and their trunks, which are covered with time-cracked bark, may be as large as two meters in diameter. The fruit (or "meat") .of the walnut is not only tasty but is also of high nutritional value. Apart from its fruit, walnut wood is a precious product, being firm, resistant to rot and easily processable and polishable. In the vicinities of Arslanbob there are two waterfalls that have been mentioned in legends. The larges one is 6 km away from the nearest village and is 80 meters high, the small one - which faces the sun and gives rise to a rainbow - leaps out from a green wall at a height of 30 meters.

The main tourist attraction on the slopes of the Chatkal range is Sary-Chelek Lake and the surrounding forests and national parks. These serve as a unique geobotanical museum where plants typical for this area grow alongside species characteristic of Siberia.

Lake Sary-Chelek is located 1,873 meters above sea level in a unique mountain valley filled with sky-blue water; a glade stretching from the South-East to the North-West for almost 7 km. The width of the lake ranges from 350 meters in the middle to 1,500 meters in its South-Western part. Dozens of small burbling streams, many starting their journey as bubbling mineral springs, run into the lake from the surrounding canyons. The lake is surrounded by a necklace of sparling snowcapped mountain peaks. This unique nature reserve is home to a rich variety of fauna including wild boars, bears, foxes, wolves, and hares. Some time ago zubrs from the Pryoksky nature reserve (a form of wild bison) were placed there as an experiment. These rarest of animals have now made their home in the region.

The shores of Sary-Chelek are unusually picturesque. Almost vertical, they go down into the dark water to a depth of 234 meters. The northern slopes are draped with slender fir and silver fir trees. The crowns of the trees are sometimes so dense that the sky cannot be seen through the leaves and branches.

The natural environment of Alai is quite different. Long canyons lead into mountain ranges above 4,000 meters high and then the dramatic panorama of the Pamir range appears. Wonderful narrow canyons encircle beautiful snow-capped and needle-sharp peaks; a combination of limestone and colored marble. From the head of the river a view opens up of many spike- and tower-shaped peaks: most of them with no conventional names. These picturesque canyons are rich with juniper woods, which provide wonderfully clear and curative air to the valleys, for the enjoyment of human being. You can breathe such air only in the high mountains of Kyrgyzstan.